My blog used to be called Nappy Valley. But now I've moved to the dizzy heights of Crystal Palace (via a spell as an expat on Long Island, New York). And my Littleboys are long out of nappies.

Friday, 31 October 2008

Seven random things

The lovely Jaywalker at Belgian Waffle, who is one of my favourite bloggers, has tagged me to write seven random things about myself. It’s actually rather helpful as, for once, I was feeling rather uninspired about what to write this week. Perhaps it’s because I’ve spent the whole week being bored to death by the Jonathan Ross /Russell Brand saga (although, for the record, Wossy is a smug git and deserves to be taken down a peg or two). So here goes:

1. I am, technically speaking, an Essex Girl. I may not sport fake tan and white stilettos, dance round my handbag or hang out at Lakeside, but I was born near Romford and my mum and dad hailed from Southend and Basildon respectively. I spent the first three years of my life in the county, before my parents upped sticks and headed to the Far East, but have never really returned, except to visit relatives. One day, I expect I will revert to type and embrace my inner Jodie Marsh.

2. I met my first two boyfriends on an aeroplane. Not at the same time, I hasten to add - I am not that kinky. No, there were two separate occasions, but both occurred on journeys from boarding school to Hong Kong for the Christmas holidays. The first ex-boyfriend and I bonded over an illicit can of lager and laughing like drains at The Naked Gun. The second time, we were brought together by Jason Donovan. Yes, you read that right. It was 1989 and Donovan was at the height of his post-Neighbours, pre-Joseph fame. He was seated in first class. For some reason, my ex-boyfriend had got wind of this, and as way of a chat-up line, asked me if I would like to go up and get JD’s autograph with him. Sadly, the stewardess would not let us through the curtain from Economy.

3. One of my uncles is a Christian rock star. Well, he used to be, anyway, and is now a DJ at a Christian radio station. If you were into rock gospel (and I am not - although my Uncle is a lovely man) I believe you would have heard of him.

4. When I was a student, I won a competition to be on the Cosmopolitan 'student advisory board’. There were about 15 of us, from universities all round the country. The ‘advising’ consisted of lunch at the Groucho club twice a year with the then-editor of Cosmo, the wonderful and very glamorous Marcelle d’Argy Smith, whose main question to us was 'So, what do you really think about men?'

5. I am a secret Eastenders watcher. The Doctor is incredibly scornful of this filthy habit, but I can’t help it; I feel a sort of loyalty to the soap, having watched the first ever episode aged 11 and grown up with Ian Beale, Sharon etc. There was a long period when I didn’t watch it – those post-Uni, pre-kids years when I was working full time and never back by 7.30. (I missed out, for example, on the first time Dirty Den died and the whole Kat/Alfie saga). But now I like nothing better than having put both children to bed by 7.30pm and sitting down to catch up on mindless soap, preferably accompanied by a nice glass of wine. My current favourite character is Sean Slater – a ginger, Neanderthal psychopath but weirdly attractive….

6. There is only one food I really don’t like – cucumber. Many people are surprised by this, because it seems like a fairly innocuous thing to dislike. But I maintain my stance. It’s slimy.

7. I met The Doctor when I was 18 (he was The Medical Student then). That sounds terribly young, now, but it didn’t at the time. I think we must be one of the few couples that survived from the student hall of residence where we met. It sometimes feels as if we have grown up together and when I see pictures of us first together, I think we look like a couple of kids.

I have been an Eastenders fan off and on since its beginning (off, now, for so many years that it's probably proof I've kicked the habit). I did feel a bit guilty when my oldest was about 2, and told me "when I'm in bed, I always hear this funny music: da-di da-di da da daaa" - reproducing it perfectly. But it served a purpose in that it was a big incentive to me to get him into bed and lights out by 7.30, which I think served us both well through his toddler years).

My best friend hates cucumbers too - but is it just the sliminess? I ordered a jug of tap water at a restaurant on Friday night and it came flavoured with strips of cucumber and slices of lemon. Delicious!

Hi Susanna - bizarrely, Littleboy 1 also loves cucumbers, and hates anything else green. So I am forced to buy them. (By the way I have realised I never replied to your previous message - thought I had, but think I hit wrong button. Will try to do so!)

MH - Watch out or I will scratch you with my acrylic nails!

Iota - I also find it a good incentive to get them upstairs to bed. As for the theme tune, I once read that babies in the womb whose mothers watched Neighbours were found to be calmed by the Neighbours theme tune as chidren!

Tara - don't worry, I think I have a long way to go in the plastic surgery stakes before that can happen.

GBS - you're welcome. Don't worry, I don't think you are missing out on the Eastenders plot at all....

Mud - I don't mind them so much IN things, it's just on their own. If you get my drift...

Laughed that cucumber is off your food list, as it really does seem so harmless, but anyway, I too watched 'Enders from Day One and even stuck with it through Dirty Den returning etc. but now, 'Enders is no more part of my life since coming to USA. I should've been a Corrie fan, at least you can get that out here...Have you ever owned white stillettos???!

I was a Brookie girl myself. I used to fancy Barry Grant. What a loser, (him AND me).Very impressed with numbers 4 and 7, and my brush with stardom was that Dirty Den used to live in my street in Parsons Green in the late 80's.

Audrey – No, not that Doctor, although they do share some characteristics…..ability to sort out most major crises is one of them. But he doesn’t own a sonic screwdriver or travel in time.

Expat Mum – never watched Brookie –in fact Eastenders is the only one I do watch (with the exception of Neighbours when I am supposed to be working at home). Never even seen five minutes of Corrie or Emmerdale. I am quite idiosyncratic in my soap viewing….

About Me

I'm a business journalist, wife to The Doctor and mother to two boys. I left London's 'Nappy Valley' in 2009 for a four year sojourn in New York. Now I'm back in South London, settling into British life once again and trying not to miss the yellow schoolbus too much as I grapple with the school run.